Covid-19 death toll in Northern Ireland passes 3,000, stats agency reports

The number of Covid-19 linked deaths in Northern Ireland has passed 3,000.

Eleven fatalities linked to coronavirus that occurred in the latest week analysed by statisticians brought the total recorded by the Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency (Nisra) to 3,006.

The Nisra figure is drawn from different data sources than the toll reported by Stormont’s Department of Health.

It is always higher than the department’s total, as it provides a broader picture of the impact of Covid-19.

The 11 fatalities occurred in week July 17 to July 23.

It was the highest number of weekly fatalities reported by Nisra in almost four months.

The statistics agency reports its Covid-19 data with a week lag.

The department’s death toll stood at 2,170 on July 23.

The department’s statistics focus primarily on hospital deaths and only include people who have tested positive for the virus.

Nisra obtains its data from death certificates on which Covid-19 is recorded as a factor by a medical professional, regardless of where the death took place or whether the patient tested positive.

Of the 3,006 deaths recorded by Nisra by July 23, 1,991 (66%) occurred in hospitals, 780 (26%) in care homes, 14 (0.5%) in hospices and 221 (7%) at residential addresses or other locations.

Nisra reported that up to July 23, the deaths of 1,016 care home residents were linked to Covid-19.

The figure includes 780 deaths in care homes, and a further 236 care home residents who died in hospital having been taken there for treatment.

Care home residents make up about 34% of deaths linked to Covid-19 in Northern Ireland, according to Nisra.

In the week to July 23, nine coronavirus-linked deaths were officially registered in Northern Ireland.

This is a slightly different figure to the death occurrence number.

Some of the fatalities registered in the week July 17 to July 23 could have occurred before that week, as deaths can take a number of days to register.

Three more deaths of patients who had previously tested positive for Covid-19 have been notified by the Department of Health in Northern Ireland on Friday afternoon.

A further 1,101 cases of the virus have been reported across the region, the department said.

On Friday morning, there were 232 Covid-19-positive patients in hospital, with 32 in intensive care.

In total, 2,248,598 vaccines have been administered.